These two evenings will feature Ms. Kurtz and her trance-inducing, contralto tones.  Her depth is akin to the Nina Simone not only as a vocalist but as an interpreter and writer.  A real equal opportunity purveyor of human musical expression, she defies categorization while giving a big-boned, highly emotive concentration to all she interprets or originates.  “I’m not of the jazz, blues, folk, R&B, rock, or pop worlds enough to belong to any of them, but all of those things are in there,” she says.

Kurtz began performing as a teenager, and has had a solo touring career ever since. She opened for Richie Havens, who became a fan and lent vocals to her debut studio album, Postcards from Downtown. Dayna keeps winning over new fans in the music scene.  In the past two years she has been invited to open up for Rufus Wainwright, Antony & the Johnsons, and Keren Ann.  Additionally, she has an admirer in fellow “Living Room” habitué Norah Jones, who sings a duet with her on “I Got It Bad…” (From Beautiful Yesterday).  The legendary Richard Thompson invited her to open up for a coast-to-coast nationwide tour that found Dayna converting some of his faithful fans.

And she’s not just a riveting singer. Her guitar playing is flexible enough to take her to the musical places she visits, whether she’s plucking an open pattern with an oddly cabaret feel or strumming some attitude into the bluesy realm.  Her newest release “Another Black Feather” finds Dayna leaning more heavily on her roots and country influences than usual, in particular making generous use of her new lap steel guitar, and showcasing her prodigious slide work on other songs.

“One of the things that I seem to encounter constantly is that I don’t really quite fit anywhere,” observes Dayna Kurtz.  This observation is also accurate to the person assembling this descriptive, Bill Camplin.  And as a feeling of “soul mate” has always been there whenever Dayna is at the Carpe, this aging drama queen singer wants to enjoy the evening with her as a performer and listener.  A rare treat in an October life.  Rest assured that Dayna will be featured.  It is just the hope that an audience for either of these two might find the synergy that is expected to make for a fine and rewarding night of listening.

“Every step I’ve taken has felt really organic, and like they’ve been made at the right time,” she states, adding, “The records I’ve made feel like honest expressions of where I’m at musically, and the making of them has been joyful and interesting.”  —  Dayna Kurtz